“You know I don't think there will ever be a time when the English player is not respected, and feared, across the world of football. The English footballer is very brave and strong and committed and there is always enough high-class players in his team to cause concern in any opponent. It is a national characteristic.” ThinkingKnowsWorldEnoughStrongCausesClassPlayerTeamFootballConcernBraveCommittedSoccerAnalysisOpponentsCharacteristicsFootballerHigh ClassBrave And Strong Author:Johan Cruijff
“However good an English team is, they will always have an additional advantage. It is that European players know that their English opponents will come at them in the belief they will win, and they can always be guaranteed never to stop fighting. They have a natural aggression that they are born with. If it ever goes, English football will lose its most valuable dimension.” IfsKnowsFightingWinningBeliefBornLosesNaturalPlayerTeamFootballAdvantageValuableSoccerAnalysisOpponentsDimensionsAggressionEnglish Football Author:Johan Cruijff
“Eric Cantona is a great player, but he's not as good as Ryan Giggs” PlayerEricGiggsCantona Author:Johan Cruijff
“For the world of football, Messi is a treasure because he is role model for children around the world... Messi will be the player to win the most Ballons d'Or in history. He will win five, six, seven. He is incomparable. He's in a different league.” WorldChildrenDifferentWinningRolesFivePlayerFootballSixModelsSevenTreasureAround The WorldLeagueRole ModelsMessiIncomparable Author:Johan Cruijff
“To play well, you need good players, but a good player almost always has the problem of a lack of efficiency. He always wants to do things prettier than strictly necessary.” WantNeedsWellsPlayProblemPlayerEfficiency Author:Johan Cruijff
“In small space a player has to be capable of acting quickly. A good player who needs too much time can suddenly become a poor player.” NeedsSpacePoorActingToo MuchPlayerCapableSmall Spaces Author:Johan Cruijff
“Playing against 10 is harder than playing against 11 players. You know why? The team with 11 will think "ok, we can take it easy now", while the team with 10 will think "We really have to work hard now."” ThinkingKnowsHardEasyPlayerTeamHard WorkHarderSoccerTake It Easy Author:Johan Cruijff
“The hardest thing about an easy match is making a weak opponent play poor. A poor player isn't poor because he tends to kick the ball in his own goal. It's because when you put intense pressure on him, he loses control. So you have to increase the tempo of the game and he'll automatically give the ball away.” GivingPlayGamesEasyGoalLosesPoorPlayerWeakBallsIncreasePressureIntenseHardestOpponentsKicksHardest ThingTempo Author:Johan Cruijff
“If my forward arrives in a one vs one situation, I always say: 'let him work it out.' Then my players say: But we can help him!'. My reply is: First, there's a good chance you'll only run in his way, and as a second attacker you're drawing a second defender with you, and two vs two is harder than one vs one.'” IfsWayFirstsTwoHelpingRunningChanceSituationPlayerHarderDrawingWorking ItDefendersGood Chance Author:Johan Cruijff
“Soccer is simple, but it is difficult to play simple.” InspirationalPlayMotivationalSportsDifficultSimplePlayerFootballCoachesSoccerFootballerFunny SoccerSoccer PlayerSoccer FootballInspirational SoccerMotivational SoccerPlaying SoccerSoccer MotivationSoccer Is My LifeSoccer Fans Author:Johan Cruijff
“I'm not religious. In Spain all 22 players make the sign of the cross before they enter the pitch. If it works all matches must therefore end in a draw.” IfsEndsChangeReligiousPlayerFootballDrawsCrossesSpain Author:Johan Cruijff
“Ronaldo is better than George Best and Denis Law, who were two brilliant and great players in the history of United.” TwoLawUnitedPlayerBrilliantCristiano Ronaldo Author:Johan Cruijff
“Someone who has juggled the ball in the air during a game, after which four defenders of the opponent get the time to run back, that's the player people think is great. I say he has to go to a circus.” PeopleThinkingRunningGamesChangeFourPlayerAirFootballBallsOpponentsCircusDefenders Author:Johan Cruijff
“Choose the best player for every position, and you'll end up not with a strong XI, but with 11 strong 1's.” EndsStrongChangePlayerPositionFootballBest Players Author:Johan Cruijff
“I always threw the ball in, because then if I got the ball back, I was the only player unmarked.” IfsChangePlayerFootballBalls Author:Johan Cruijff
“I'm ex-player, ex-technical director, ex-coach, ex-manager, ex-honorary president. A nice list that once again shows that everything comes to an end.” EndsShowsPresidentChangeNicePlayerFootballDirectorsListsCoachesManagersExesHonorary Author:Johan Cruijff
“Players that aren't true leaders but try to be, always bash other players after a mistake. True leaders on the pitch already assume others will make mistakes.” TryingChangeMistakeLeaderPlayerFootballAssumingMaking MistakesTrue LeaderBash Author:Johan Cruijff
“When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average ... So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball. That is what determines wether you're a good player or not.” ImportantPlayChangePlayerMinutesFootballBallsImportant ThingsAverageDetermineProvenGreat Football Author:Johan Cruijff
“We must make sure their worst players get the ball the most. You'll get it back in no time.” ChangePlayerWorstFootballBallsBall Players Author:Johan Cruijff
“Every professional golfer has a seperate coach for his drives, for approaches, for putting. In football we have one coach for 15 players. This is absurd.” ChangePlayerFootballApproachCoachesAbsurdGolfers Author:Johan Cruijff
“Players today can only shoot with their laces. I could shoot with the inside, laces, and outside of both feet. In other words, I was six times better than today's players.” TodayChangePlayerFeetFootballSixLace Author:Johan Cruijff
“There are very few players who know what to do when they're not marked. So sometimes you tell a player: that attacker is very good, but don't mark him.” KnowsSometimesChangePlayerFootballMarkVery Good Author:Johan Cruijff
